Container with insert



y 1, 1962 E. NOLLER ETAL 3,032,250

CONTAINER WITH INSERT Filed April 12, 1961 /N V! N TORS EVFRETT A/OLLER WVNNE W/AL/AMS A TTORA/[V nited States Patent 61 3,032,250 CONTAINER WITH INSERT Everett Noller, Hayward, and Wynne Williams, Hillsborough, Califi, assignors to Crown Zellerbach Corporation, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of Nevada Filed Apr. 12, 1961, Ser. No. 102,473 Claims. (Cl. 229-14) This invention relates to a container with insert and more particularly to a novel insert for dividing a container into two or more compartments, reinforcing the container walls, and prevent the walls from bulging. The insert may be made of solid fibreboard, corrugated fibreboard or any other suitable material.

It is often necessary in the transportation of easily damaged articles, such as fruits and vegetables and the like, to protect the articles against injury without requiring the use of expensive individual packing. For instance in the shipping of fruits and vegetables, it is highly desirable to provide a large, sturdy, stackable container which will effectively protect the fruits and vegetables from injury or contact. Furthermore, it is important from a material savings standpoint that the container should have provision for receiving at least two layers of such fruits or vegetables. To provide maximum protection, it is necessary that these layers be separated in order that the upper layers do not cause damage to the fruits and vegetables on the lower layer by contact. As containers of fruits and vegetables and similar items are often stacked during shipment and storage, it is also important that each container be of a construction which will afford adequate support for any load stacked above, without injury to its own contents. It is a further requirement in such a container that the separating partition does not get in the way during the packing of the container, while the lower layer is being filled. It is therefore the objects of this invention to provide a dividing insert for supporting contents within a container, which has side Wall reinforcing portions which strengthen the adjacent walls of the container and prevents bulging, as well as to provide added stacking support for top loads.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon a full and complete understanding of the construction and operation of this device.

The invention also consists in the parts and arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed. The accompanying drawings form a part of the specification and like numerals and symbols therein appearing refer to like parts wherever they occur.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank for the reinforcing and partitioning insert employing a preferred form of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the insert in knockeddown form, prior to sealing the manufacturing joint.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a container and the insert, prior to packing.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a container with insert showing the lower layer packed and the upper layer ready for packing,

The blank for the insert, as shown in FIG. 1, is made up of wall panels 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 hingedly connected together along score lines 15, 16, 17 and 18. The blank itself is defined by side marginal edges 19 and 20 and upper and lower marginal edges 21 and 22. Slots 23, 23 in panel 11 and 24, 24 in panel 13 and hinge lines 25 in panel 11 and 26 in panel 13 define partitioning portions 27 and 28.

When panels 10, 13 and 14 are folded inwardly along score lines 15 and 17, as shown in FIG. 2, the side marginal edges 19 and 20 substantially abut and may be joined by a taped manufacturing joint. It is to be understood that a glue or stitch flap could also be utilized in making this manufacturing joint. It is to be also understood that the manufacturing joint could also be made at a corner of the insert instead of at the midwidth of one of its walls, as herein illustrated.

After the manufacturing joint has been made, the insert is placed in a container, as shown in FIG. 3. The wall panels 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 substantially conform in size and configuration to the wall panels of the container 29. The insert panels are also in substantial faceto-face relation with the inner face of the container wall panels and the lower marginal edge 22 of the insert abuts against the bottom closure of the container. In this position, as shown in FIG. 3, partitioning portions 27 and 28 of side wall panels 11 and 13 of the insert, remain in face-to-fa-ce relation with the corresponding wall panels of the container 29, since the score lines 25 and 26 of panels 11 and 13 of the insert have not been broken. Since these portions 27 and 28 remain in an upright position, the lower level of the container is easily packed without interference from these partitioning portions.

After the lower level of the container is packed, as shown in FIG. 4, the partitioning portions 27 and 28 of wall panels 11 and 13 of the insert are folded inwardly along score lines 25 and 26 to substantially a parallel relation with one another and at substantially right angles to the walls, forming a partition and dividing the container into two compartments. The upper level of the container may now be packed.

Since the form of the top and bottom closures of the container are not a part of this invention, no particular top or bottom closure has been illustrated or described herein. In some cases, a top closure may not be required, and is not necessary for the operation of the invention.

It will be noted that the insert in addition to compartmenting the container and providing cushioning between upper and lower layers of articles placed in the container, also provides unusual rigidity in resistance to compression and bulging while affording a very simple and economical construction. Solid fibreboard, corrugated fibreboard and other suitable bendable materials for forming the insert are markedly rigidified at folded portions thereof in comparison to planar panels of the same materials. In the present invention the stacking qualities of the insert are substantially retained even though partitioning portions 27 and 28 are infolded in horizontal relation. The said partitioning portions are defined by slots or slits 23 and 24 at their side edges and these slots or slits are spaced from the corner scores of the insert 15, 16, 17 and 18. By this means the rigid corner portions or members of the insert adjacent the corner scores are unimpaired and capable of performing their full stacking strength.

The insert panels 11 and 13 even though they are substantially reduced by the removal therefrom of the partitioning portions 27 and 28 affords substantial rigidity to the package since the partitioning portions are folded inwardly in substantially normal relation to the respective vertical walls. Thus these fold lines 25 and 26 substantially rigidify the adjacent wall portions and markedly increase resistance to lateral distension or deformation. In addition, the partitioning portions 27 and 28 being positioned intervening upper and lower layers of articles in the container, are frictionally engaged by said articles and thereby held against movement. Thus the integral wall portions are likewise restrained from lateral movement. It is well established that when wall panels are restrained against lateral deflection or bulging, that they are most capable of withstanding the stresses of stacking and shipping and handling.

It is to be understood that the embodiments herein described are illustrative and not restrictive, and it is also to be understood that the invention may be susceptible of embodiments in other modified forms and that all such modifications which are similar or equivalent hereto come equally within the scope of the claims next appearmg.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. A tubular container having at least two pairs of opposed upstanding side and end walls and a bottom closure and a container reinforcing and partitioning insert therein, comprising opposed side and end walls hingedly connected together with a portion of at least one wall being hingedly secured to said wall along a horizontal hingeline intermediate the outer marginal edges of said wall, said portion defined by said hinge line, one of said outer edges and two side marginal edges, spaced from the adjoining wall panels.

2. A container having a reinforcing and partioning insert as claimed in claim 1, wherein said walls of said insert being substantially equal in size and configuration to the walls of said container.

3. A container having a reinforcing and partitioning insert as claimed in claim 2 with at least one pair of opposed walls being in substantial face-to-face relation with the inner faces of a pair of opposed walls of said container.

4. A container with a reinforcing and partitioning insert as claimed in claim 2 with the said portion of at least one of said walls of the insert being folded inwardly along said horizontal line to substantially a 90 angle to said wall.

5. A tubular container having a one piece reinforcing and partitioning insert, said insert comprising vertical corner members, extending the fullheight of the container, a pair of Wall members adjacent to said corner members and substantially equal in size and configuration to and in face-to-face relation with a pair of opposed container walls and second pair of opposed Wall members also adjacent to said corner members having hingedly attached thereto partitioning portions inwardly folded along parallel hinge lines to substantially right angles to said walls, whereby the container is divided into two sections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

